Freelance Pricing Guide

Just been reading this Freelance Pricing Guide and seriously? It’s a must-read. Not just for new freelancers.

Steve FollandBeing Freelance / DIFTK Podcasts

Setting rates is difficult. It takes time to find the right balance and there are lots of internal battles along the way:

Am I charging too little? 

Do I have the skills to charge that much? 

Should I be pricing on value? 

How do I price for my target client?

To make matters worse, there’s a lot of confusing advice around.

The Freelance Pricing Guide has helped over 400 freelancers work out rates that work for them.

Setting your own rates

Few freelancers talk about, display or give an indication of what they charge, either in public or private. Secrecy around pricing creates several issues, not least that clients – and newer freelancers alike — have no guide for what a typical rate might be.

This doesn’t help anybody.

In sectors lucky enough to have a body representing them, rates surveys can help set a bar. But interpreting the results can be tricky.

Few surveys limit responses to a single country, making the calculation of a representative average almost impossible. Even where this is feasible, the figures are usually vague: are the self-reported numbers accurate? Do the numbers represent turnover or profit?

Some freelancers may even know what the average rates are in their sectors, but that still doesn’t give them all the information they need.

Then there’s the issue of value-based pricing. Is that something you should use? How do you justify it?

Pricing freelance work is often a taboo subject. I’ve just read @_worknotes ‘Freelance Pricing Guide’ and it’s absolutely brilliant!

8th Jan, 2020

Karen ArnottCreative Director, Arnott Design

Do these situations sound familiar?

  1. Your rate should bring in enough for a comfortable living, but that hasn’t translated into reality
  2. You want to free up more time or increase your bank balance

Alternatively, you might be completely new to freelancing and have absolutely no idea how much to charge.  If these situations sound familiar, this guide is for you.

I’ve read blog post after blog post from all kinds of freelancers on pricing, and this is the first piece of content that has resonated with me and given me confidence in my pricing decisions.

Elizabeth M. JonesFreelance Writer & Editor

What this guide will and won’t do

This guide was almost called the Realistic Guide To Freelancing Pricing. That’s probably a better description of the guide’s contents, but it hardly rolls off the tongue. 

The aim of the guide is to help freelancers – new and old – understand how to calculate a rate that works from them. Lots of guides and courses promise to show you how to achieve a six-figure income: this guide isn’t about that.

This is a perennial question for many freelancers - how much should I charge? It goes to the heart of your own self-worth, and can cause apprehension for many, but @_worknotes’ brilliant guide makes it objective, clear and helps you figure it out.

17th Jan, 2020

Leapers

This guide will:

The 4,500-word Pricing Guide is broken into 18 sections and shows you how to:

  • Work out what your minimum rate should be, irrespective of what your competition charges
  • Feel more confident justifying your rates
  • Work out a realistic rate, factoring in the amount of time you can actually work
  • Calculate a rate that accounts for a pension – including examples
  • Deal with common freelance issues related to pricing including retainers and micro requests
  • Avoid hourly billing

Purchase the Pricing Guide

The guide is £13 (including digital VAT).

Buy Now

Questions

What format is the guide available in?

At the moment, the guide is only available through the website. This means the guide is always up-to-date, offers a better experience in terms of accessibility and means you can easily search the page.

In future, the guide may be made available as a PDF to allow offline reading: anyone who has already purchased the guide will be given access to this.

Is this guide country-specific?

The guide doesn’t give exact prices, but talks through the factors to consider when deciding on a rate. 

The example calculations in the guide are centred around UK-based sole traders. Other countries will have different tax liabilities and requirements, but the guide isn’t about providing tax advice anyway. 

The concepts covered are transferable to freelancers anywhere.

Does the guide cover value-pricing?

The guide looks at situations and justifications for charging some clients more, but it’s not an in-depth exploration of value-based pricing.

Does the guide cover pricing licenses/commissions?

No, though this is something that might be included in future or as part of the Freelance Guide.

Will this guide make me six-figures?

I’m not in the business of pulling the wool over people’s eyes, so no, this guide isn’t here to give you a step-by-step guide to hitting the hallowed six-figure income. The guide is here to offer practical and realistic advice on how to go about pricing your work and the things you need to consider.

Does the guide give me exact rates to charge?

No. The guide gives you the rough calculations you need in order to set minimum rates. You can use this to decide what you need to charge to be profitable.

Does the guide give me tax or financial advice? Or advise me on starting a pension?

Absolutely not. I’m not an accountant or financial advisor. There are rough example calculations in the guide, but the guide doesn’t contain financial or tax advice. Speak to a professional to advise on your circumstances.

How do I access the guide?

Once you’ve purchased the guide, you’ll be able to download a file from Gumroad that contains instructions for accessing the guide.

Can I share my login?

No. If you’re found to be sharing your login, your access to the guide may be deleted.

What if I want my money back?

If you’re not happy with the guide, for whatever reason, I offer a 30-day no questions asked moneyback guarantee. Simple.

Can I access the guide on my phone?

Yes! The guide works and reads nicely on all devices.

Is purchasing secure?

Yes. Purchases are made using Gumroad, and your information is securely transferred through over an HTTPS connection.

Why am I being charged in USD?

In short, because of EU Digital VAT. Gumroad is the only provider that entirely takes care of that and they charge all transactions in USD – if they offer a GBP at any point, I’ll switch to that.

Is there VAT?

Because this is a digital product, EU Digital VAT laws apply and Gumroad will apply VAT to all orders. If you have a VAT ID, you can claim a VAT refund through the invoice.

Gumroad say, “If your customers have a VAT ID, they simply have to enter it into their Invoice, which they can generate through their Gumroad receipt. The invoice they receive will reflect this refund, and the refund will hit their credit card accounts or PayPal accounts in a matter of days.”

Any problems, email me: dave@worknotes.co.uk

Can I read the full terms?

Sure, they’re available to read here.

I have other questions

That’s fine – feel free to email me (dave@worknotes.co.uk) and I’ll get right back to you.